Winless Informatics ‘tough team to beat,’ says Fruitas coach Racela

MANILA, Philippines—Fruitas shoots for its third straight win even as Café France tries to rebound from a blowout loss when they take on separate foes as the PBA D-League Aspirants Cup resumes Tuesday at the JCSGO Gym in Cubao, Quezon City.

The Shakers haven’t played since beating Big Chill, 86-81, last December 11 and only had limited time to prepare due to the long holiday break.

“Hopefully, we get our form back in four practices,” said a concerned Fruitas head coach Nash Racela, who held their first practice session in the new year last Friday.

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The Bakers, whose majority of the players spent the holiday season in their respective provinces, will also have to deal with the consequences of the long layoff.

And like Racela, Café France coach Egay Macaraya worries the same thing for his team.

“Our loss [to Blackwater Sports] was a nightmare for us and it’s haunting our daily lives. I just hope we can recover sooner and winning against JRU is the best remedy,” Macaraya said.

The setback to the Elite dealt a huge blow to the Bakers outright semifinals bid and a win over the Heavy Bombers would get them back on track.

“Short or long [vacation], we have to learn our lesson and hope to win against JRU,” Macaraya said.

Fruitas (3-3) are heavy favorites to win over Informatics, the only winless team in the league at 0-7, but Racela thinks otherwise.

“They will be tough to beat, hopefully they don’t get their first [win] against us,” said Racela.

A win by the Shakers would put their record above .500 and bolster their chance for a quarterfinals slot.

The Heavy Bombers (2-4) are seeking a big win to remain in contention for a playoff spot.